Waterford City and County Council recently provided Abbey Community College in Ferrybank with a bike bunker, in a bid to promote active travel and encourage more sustainable modes of transport.

The bike bunker, which can accommodate up to six bikes, provides a secure, all-weather proof shelter for bike-users.

Cecily Johnston, Project Manager with Waterford City and County Council said, “Abbey Community College is ideally placed to reap the benefits of the South East Greenway, which will provide connectivity from the school to the North Quays, the city centre and Waterford Greenway via the Sustainable Transport Bridge.

“By introducing the infrastructure and access paths that encourage and harness a modal shift from cars to cycling, initiatives such as this, will hopefully get more people thinking about their travel habits and encourage them to use more sustainable modes of travel.”

Lauren Walsh-Kett, Active Cities Officer with Waterford Sports Partnership said, “The Active Cities Project is all about building relationships and working collaboratively with different partners to increase the opportunities for the people of Waterford to be physically active.

“The bike bunker initiative is an excellent example of this, encouraging teachers and students to cycle to work and school by providing a secure place to store their bikes.”

Helen O’Connor, Deputy Principal of Abbey Community College welcomed the installation of the bike bunker on the schoolgrounds, saying, “Already we are seeing a shift to active travel, particularly amongst our staff members. We have staff members who regularly cycle from the suburbs to school and a number of staff members who carpool, and then cycle from school to Dungarvan along the Waterford Greenway.

“There has been a definite shift in patterns of travel, and I have no doubt that the completion of the works on the North Quays, along with the delivery of the South East Greenway will act as a catalyst for more staff members and students to cycle to and from school.

“We are looking forward to continuing to work with Waterford Sports Partnership, Waterford City and County Council, and Kilkenny County Council in 2024 to promote more sustainable modes of transport such as walking and cycling.”